In a typical linear linkless ammunition feeding system, the individual rounds of ammunition are accommodated in separate carriers which are serially interconnected to provide a ladder-type conveyor. This conveyor is circuitously trained throughout the interior of the magazine in a manner to maximize packing or storage density and delivers the ammunition rounds to a transfer point where they are handed off seriatim to a gun for firing. In many gun system applications, it is required that the spent shell cases be saved rather than simply ejected from the system. In such case, the magazine conveyor is typically made endless, and the spent shell cases are successively returned to the transfer point and deposited in the just emptied carriers for storage in the magazine.
An ammunition conveyor fully loaded with live rounds has a rather heavy cargo to contend with. In modern gun systems, the magazine conveyor is called upon to accelerate from a standing start to a gun firing rate of several thousands of rounds per minute in less than a second. This requires a significant power source for the conveyor. To minimize the conveyor power requirements, the conveyor must itself be as light in weight a possible, while maintaining positive control of the individual ammunition rounds in the face of such extreme acceleration forces. When the gun system is mounted on fighter aircraft, the inertial forces incident to aircraft maneuvers must also be taken into account to assure that the ammunition rounds do not become dislodged from their carriers and thereby jam the magazine conveyor. Heretofore, ammunition conveyor systems have typically utilized an array of guide plates and/or separator plates arrayed throughout the conveyor path within the magazine to serve in cooperation with the round carriers to maintain positive control of the individual ammunition rounds. These round-engaging plates impose a frictional drag on round conveyance which must be overcome by the conveyor power source. The additional weight and space represented by these round control plates and the requisite larger power source are definite liabilities particularly in airborne applications, where weight and space limitations are critical. The alternative is to reduce the magazine ammunition capacity, which is certainly not a desirable and often times even an acceptable approach.
Another important consideration is the reliable handoffs of live ammunition rounds and spent shell cases to and from the magazine conveyor. These handoffs occur at several transfer ports in the magazine. One such transfer port is at the interface of the magazine conveyor with a gun feeding conveyor where live ammunition rounds are handed off from the individual magazine conveyor carriers in subsequent exchange for spent shell cases. These handoffs back and forth occur at the gun firing rate and require that the conveyor carrier relinquish positive control of the live rounds to accommodate handoff to the gun conveyor and assume positive control of the spent cases handed back from the gun conveyor, all in a split seconds time. The other transfer port is at the interface with ammunition loading equipment where the magazine conveyor hands off spent cases in exchange for live rounds. This magazine loading operation is typically performed at a rate significantly less than gun firing rate, but nevertheless requires that the magazine conveyor carriers relinquish spent case control for handoff and acquire live round control upon handback in a rapid and reliable manner. It is obviously important that the additional elements required to effect these live round--spent case exchanges with the magazine conveyor be efficiently structured in size, weight and operation in order to meet the rigorous demands of modern rapid-fire gun systems.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved linear linkless ammunition conveying system.
An additional object is to provide an ammunition conveying system of the above-character which includes a conveyor having a series of improved carriers adapted to maintain positive control over the individual ammunition rounds during conveyance.
Another object is to provide an ammunition conveying system of the above-character, wherein the individual conveyor ammunition round carriers are of a light-weight, yet structurally rigid construction.
A further object is to provide an ammunition conveying system of the above-character, wherein ammunition round conveyance is achieved with minimal frictional drag.
Still another object is to provide an ammunition conveying system of the above-character, wherein efficiency is maximized and thus power consumption is minimized.
An additional object is to provide an ammunition conveying system of the above-character, wherein the handoffs of live rounds and spent cases between the ammunition conveyor and interfacing equipment are effected in an efficient and reliable fashion.
A further object is to provide an ammunition conveying system for conveying rounds throughout the interior of an ammunition storage container or magazine in a manner such as to maximize storage or packing density.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.